Volumina Medical secures USD 21 Million Funding to boost clinical advancements following successful first in human trial

Hello, Amélie. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. To start, could you tell us about your journey as CEO and Co-founder of Volumina Medical? What are some of the key lessons you've learned along the way?
Thank you for having me. The story of Volumina started when I was a post-doctoral researcher at EPFL in the laboratory of Philippe Renaud. Together with another post-doc, Thomas Braschler, we were developing biomaterials for neural tissue engineering. Once, we met with plastic surgeons who told us that our biomaterials could answer one of their unmet needs: Repairing soft tissues. This insight awoke our curiosity because we always dreamed of developing scientific breakthroughs that could be translated into clinical use. We visited and interviewed plenty of plastic surgeons to understand their needs and the needs of their patients. The feedback was always the same: Today, no solution exists to provide natural volumes of new soft tissues. We realized our biomaterials could address this high unmet need in a large market. This is how we decided together, Thomas, Philippe, and myself, to create Volumina Medical, as a spin-off of EPFL.

There are so many lessons learned since the creation of Volumina in 2018 and I will continue learning for a long time! If I had to select only one it would be to surround ourselves with people who complement our skills and share our vision. We spend so much time together, solving challenges every day, team alignment is key and you can do so much when you achieve it! 


 

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Can you share with us the objectives of Volumina and how you're working towards achieving them?
The global objective of Volumina is to develop a portfolio of products for reconstructive and plastic surgery and dermatology. 

Could you tell us how the USD 21 Million Funding will further Volumina's goals?
Our team is very focused. This funding is dedicated to the clinical trials with Adipearl. We are working with different Key Opinion Leaders to generate the most meaningful clinical data for the regulatory authorities and get market approval as efficiently as possible. 

Volumina participated in Venture Leaders Life Sciences, was ranked among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups for several years, and won the last stage of Venture Kick. How do you think those programs helped you lay the foundation for the company’s growth?
Those programs were instrumental in laying the foundations of Volumina’s growth. Venture kick coaching sessions were particularly “eye-opening” for me. The program helped me to sharpen my communication skills. Meeting with other entrepreneurs was also meaningful. I realized I had the same challenges as others and that we could help each other. It also represented a very good visibility window, which enabled us to find our first investors.

 

The USD 21 Million Funding will enable Volumina Medical to advance its clinical program with its lead product AdipearlTM confidently, and ultimately achieve market approval in key international markets.

The AdipearlTM injectable dermal filler is an innovative solution for tissue regeneration, catering to the needs of countless patients seeking tissue reconstruction post-surgery, due to illness, or for cosmetic enhancements. Renowned experts in Europe are currently evaluating its performance in clinical trials.

This funding infusion aims to facilitate the acquisition of crucial clinical data, propelling AdipearlTM towards market availability. Ultimately, this advancement promises to significantly benefit millions of patients by offering them natural and long-lasting solutions to enhance their health and quality of life.

“I will never forget the intensity of the smiles on the faces of the first patients who were treated with AdipearlTM. This funding round is providing us with a lot of confidence and extremely high energy to continue to develop Volumina Medical and offer our solution to millions of patients,” commented Amélie Béduer, CEO and CO-Founder of Volumina.

“AdipearlTM is receiving a lot of traction from the market and the results are very promising. This new funding round provides a strong commitment and allows the Volumina team to continue its steady progress and answer a true need of patients,” added Silvia Scherer, Chairwoman of the board.

Volumina Medical was ranked among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups from 2018 to 2023, participated in Venture Leaders Life Sciences in 2019, and won the last stage of Venture Kick in 2018.